Walk into The Athenaeum on East Michigan Street and you’ll find Coat Check Coffee tucked inside a stunning German Renaissance Revival building that looks more like a European castle than a coffee shop.
The butterscotch latte here is the most ordered drink at a place where housemade syrups and carefully prepared espresso turn skeptics into regulars.
The breakfast biscuit sandwich might actually be more famous than the coffee – locals call it a top three breakfast sandwich in Indy and argue it’s not number three.
That fluffy biscuit gets compared to Red Lobster cheddar bay biscuits meeting an aunty who knows how to cook, which tells you everything about why people eat two in the same day.
Why This Historic Building Makes Coffee Taste Better
They make their syrups from scratch, which explains why the butterscotch tastes perfectly balanced and cozy without crossing into syrupy sweetness.
The location inside The Athenaeum adds historic architecture to your morning coffee, with comfortable seating upstairs and free art exhibits that make this more than just a caffeine stop.
The shop carefully prepares both espresso and filter coffees alongside pastries made from scratch, keeping the menu focused on doing a few things exceptionally well instead of offering everything mediocrely.
How a Coat Check Room Became Indianapolis’ Coffee Destination
Coat Check Coffee opened inside The Athenaeum’s historic coat check room, bringing third wave coffee to a building that tells Indianapolis history through German Renaissance Revival architecture.
The Mass Ave location put them center in the cultural district, where bike racks and easy walkability from downtown made them a natural morning stop for locals and tourists exploring the area.
Now run by The Athenaeum, the shop has found its groove with breakfast sandwiches that people can’t stop talking about and specialty lattes like ginger and pistachio that convert even non-fancy-coffee drinkers.
Food Highlights
- Butterscotch Latte: The most ordered drink comes perfectly balanced with housemade butterscotch syrup that tastes like cozy fall mornings without crossing into candy territory, topped with a toasted orange peel that adds citrus aromatics you can smell before the first sip. ☕
- Breakfast Biscuit Sandwich: Big, fluffy, flavorful biscuits hold perfectly seasoned sausage, fluffy scrambled egg, and melted cheese in what locals call a top three breakfast sandwich in Indianapolis, with a biscuit so good people order extras just to eat plain. 🥐
- Ginger Latte: Housemade ginger syrup brings warming spice without overwhelming the espresso, creating that perfect balance where you taste both the coffee and the ginger in every sip. ☕
- Pistachio Latte: Real pistachio flavor comes through without tasting artificial, bringing nutty richness that plays beautifully with their espresso and works especially well with the homemade cashew milk option. ☕
- Chocolate Croissant: One of the prettiest croissants you’ll see with glossy layers and chocolate peeking through, backing up the looks with proper flaky pastry that shatters when you bite and rich chocolate that doesn’t skimp on quality. 🥐
- Matcha Latte: Comes unsweetened so you can adjust to your taste preference, made with quality matcha that has earthy depth without bitterness and poured with consistently impressive latte art. 🍵
Atmosphere
The shop sits at 401 East Michigan Street inside The Athenaeum, where German Renaissance Revival architecture creates one of the most beautiful coffee settings in the Midwest.
Upstairs seating offers comfortable chairs and tables in a space with moderate noise levels that works equally well for catching up with friends or settling in with a laptop.
The historic building houses free art exhibits in the hallways, with displays about Indiana history adding context to your coffee break while you soak up the ambiance of a structure that’s been standing since the 1890s.
Bottom Line
Visit Coat Check Coffee for butterscotch lattes and breakfast biscuit sandwiches inside The Athenaeum’s historic German Renaissance Revival building on Mass Ave.
Housemade syrups in carefully prepared espresso drinks prove that third wave coffee gets better when you skip the artificial flavoring and make everything from scratch.
The stunning architecture, free art exhibits upstairs, and location in Indianapolis’ cultural district make this worth visiting even if you weren’t already craving the best biscuit sandwich in the city. 🌟
Address: Coat Check Coffee
401 E Michigan Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204
📞 (317) 207-2127
🕐 Mon-Fri: 7:00 AM – 4:00 PM | Sat-Sun: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Housemade syrups | Scratch-made pastries | Third wave coffee | Historic Athenaeum building | Mass Ave location | Free WiFi
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